In Search of the Perfect Obstacle
by Steph-Schell
Summary: In a world where your soul mate's name is tattooed on your wrist when you're born, Sebastian Monroe has forever been struggling with his tattoo. He hopes for a beautiful woman like his best friend Miles, but the tattoo on his wrist reads Duncan Page.


All his life Bass had been told to trust in his marking. The name on his wrist was the person he would be with forever. Which might be enough for some people but the name tattooed on his wrist was Duncan Page.

Duncan. As in a boy. As in someone who was the same gender as he was. Which was not what Bass was into. He didn't have anything against gays or anything. Whoever you were into, that was your thing. But he had never once felt attraction to anyone of the male persuasion. Despite the lies people liked to spread about him and Miles. The most they had ever done was a little teenage experimenting but it had never gone any further and he was not into his best friend.

Miles had it much easier. Nora Clayton was gracefully tattooed on his wrist so no crisis of identity there. He just gazed around the pretty females and tried to guess which one was looking for him. Though if high school was anything to go by…she wouldn't be too hard to find.

Bass was thankful he had Miles. Miles was the only one who didn't try to talk down to him or make him feel like he was being stupid. Miles just shrugged and said that it would work out the way it was supposed to. He even supported the crazy things Bass did to try and like males. Some of which he was never going to mention again. But damn it if females didn't do it for him every time. How the hell could you not like girls? They were gorgeous, every one. And guys just…weren't. It was a hopeless situation.

This wasn't to say that he didn't have a type. Because he totally did. But he still found just about every girl pretty damn attractive. At least the only thing Miles had to worry about was his girl not fitting his type. Bass had to wonder what ginger haired, blue eyed female was going to wander into Miles' life and become the perfect doting wife. And how long it would be before Miles tore his hair out in frustration. Bass loved teasing him about it. Because it was better than thinking about his own stupid tattoo.

But Miles stuck by him all through school and even in the Marines, protecting him from all the stupid rumors that sprang up the moment people spotted the name on his wrist. Just after Ben's wedding, their little duet became a trio. Nora Clayton was lovely and graceful Latina who never let Miles get away with anything. It was a nice change to see his friend groveling before a woman for once instead of the other way around. And she was just as sympathetic as Miles to Bass' plight. Except she was more helpful.

The three of them were currently relaxing in Bass' apartment, half watching bad action movies. Bass was stewing over his damn tattoo and Miles and Nora were having their usual argument of Army versus Marines. Miles was forever trying to get his lover to switch over. "Oh hey, Bass," Nora called.

Bass looked over to where she was half on the arm of the couch and half on Miles' leg. "I am not helping you beat him again," he warned.

"No, it's not that, it's about your tattoo."

"You've met a Duncan Page?"

Miles threw a burger wrapper at Bass' head. "If she had I would have made her bring Duncan here so you can stop dwelling."

Nora flicked his ear. "I was reading some stuff on the Internet. And I had some ideas."

"I'm not going to like these, am I?"

"Would you like to fucking hear them first?"

"Sure, hit me."

"Well, this dude could be trans you know."

"That's where they want to become a woman right?" Bass frowned.

"Eh, some get the surgery, some don't. But yeah, that's the basic idea."

Miles sniggered. "What if it's a girl that wants to be a guy?"

"You are the worst best friend ever,' Bass sighed. "I am so kicking you out of the group. Nora can stay though. She's sympathetic."

Nora shot Miles a triumphant grin. "He likes me better."

"He won't let me go," Miles predicted. "I've known him longer. I know where the bodies are buried."

"Not the literal ones," Bass countered. "And you will be joining them soon."

"There is another option," Nora interjected.

Bass turned his gaze to her. "What's that?"

"You could be heterosexual but homoromatic."

Both men stared at her. "The hell does that mean?" Miles demanded.

"It means Bass wants to bang girls but he's going to fall in love with a man."

"I am not going without sex for the rest of my life," Bass insisted. "It's just not happening."

"Have you tried finding men attractive?" Nora offered weakly. Here answer was a glare from Bass and loud guffawing from Miles. "Jesus, I am so glad I missed the early years of you two."

"You should be, it was not pretty," Miles told her. He kissed her nose. "Unlike you gorgeous."

"Is this your attempt at being charming?"

"No, you've seen that."

Bass rolled his eyes. "Alright, we need to go out a do something because if I have to watch you two be nauseatingly in love, I will vomit. And I will do it over both of you."

"Fine," Miles sighed, finally tearing his gaze away from Nora. "There's something going on down on the beach. Wanna check it out?"

"Anything to get me out of here."

"Let's go then."

Another god thing about Nora was that she never took Bass' seat when it was the three of them in the car. She stretched out in back while Miles took the wheel and Bass relaxed next to him. The chatter in the car was much more relaxed, allowing Bass to forget about his tattoo for a while. Part of him wanted to meet this stupid Duncan Page just to get the nerve racking shit over with. But as his parents always said, it would happen when it was supposed to and not before.

The thing at the beach turned out to be a travelling carnival. Bass didn't even know they still had those anymore. But they did and the three of them decided to hang around seeing what shenanigans they could get up to. Bass would say this for Nora, she never let him third wheel. She always made sure he was included even when Miles was trying to focus on her. Woman was good through and through.

Miles eventually went to buy food and that left Nora and Bass just sitting on their own. "You're dwelling," Nora said, nudging his shoulder.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit, you keep rubbing your tattoo."

Bass stuck his tongue out at her. "I always rub my tattoo, it's a coping mechanism."

"Talk nerdy to me," Nora smirked. Bass nudged her playfully. "Seriously, though. You know everything is going to work out. Did you ever see a pairing that didn't?"

"No but there's a first time for everything."

"Not for you. Miles and I'll make sure of that."

Bass smiled at her. "I'm glad you two got together," he told her.

"Yeah? Me too." They both chuckled.

Bass was about to speak again when they were interrupted by Miles' voice. "Hey, Bass, I need you over here."

"Are you saying you can't carry food by yourself?"

"Just move your lazy ass."

Bass grumbled as he headed over to Miles who was smirking like he knew a secret. "What's going on?" Nora whispered.

"You'll see," Miles promised. He pressed a kiss to her head and darted into the crowd. He came back with a brunette woman in a green dress. "Bass, I have someone I need you to meet."

"Yeah? Who's this?"

Miles grinned like the cat that got the cream. "Duncan Page."

It was hard to tell who was more shocked, Bass or Nora. Duncan offered them a wry smile. "You Sebastian Monroe?" she asked. Bass nodded. She held up her wrist which bore a tattoo of his name. "Good to finally meet you."

The shock on Bass' face turned to anger. "You're kidding me!" he bellowed. "You have got to be kidding me! You're Duncan Page?! You're my soul mate?!"

Duncan seemed more amused than cowed by Bass' anger. "In the flesh," she nodded. "I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to find you."

"Duncan is a male name!"

"Yeah, my parents were expecting a third boy. But out I popped. They figured they'd keep the name, what the hell. And I always liked it well enough."

"Well enough?" Bass ran a hand through his curls. "Do you have any idea what I went through for you?! I thought you were a _guy! _I kept trying to be attracted to men and here you are just standing there! God damn it, stop looking cute when I'm trying to be pissed at you!"

Duncan, who had done absolutely nothing different while he shouted at her, laughed. "You're going to be fun to spend the rest of my life with," she declared.

"You are just…you are impossible do you know that? You are just the worst! I put myself out there! I did…" Bass kept ranting and Duncan couldn't' help it. It was his fault for being so damn adorable when he was angry. She started laughing which only caused him to get more upset. Finally he kissed her just to shut her up.

Nora let out a whistle as the kiss went on and on. "You'd think they'd need to breathe at some point," she said.

"You don't' when we kiss," Miles pointed out.

"I might have to break them up soon for public indecency," Nora chuckled.

Miles wrapped his arms around her. "Oh come on, it's two people in love. This is a beautiful thing."

Finally they did break off to breathe. "So what did you do?" Duncan asked a little breathlessly.

Bass blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You know, to like men."

"I…can honestly not remember a single thing." He leaned down to kiss her again.

Duncan smiled when he pulled away. "Damn, I was going to try to make it up to you."

"I can get you a list," Miles offered.

"Yeah, that can wait until later," Bass declared.

"Totally later," Duncan agreed.

Bass was about to kiss her again when Nora's words echoed through his head and he pulled back. "You're not some weird trans person that used to be a guy, right?"

"Nope. Female since birth."

"And you're not going to switch genders on me, are you?" he accused.

Duncan pretended to give that serious thought. "I've had the vagina for a few decades now and I'm pretty attached to it," she decided. "I mean it's a pain once a month but I believe in doing things the full way and I just love my boobs."

Bass looked down at her chest. "You do have a great rack."

"Baby, wait until you see it without clothes."

They both laughed as Bass kissed her again.


End file.
